Issue: 19 November/December 2021

THE QUEST GAZETTE

EXPLORATIONS AROUND OUR SCHOOL

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R I N C I P A L

Dear Quest Families,

Quest is proud to participate in the Angel Tree project again this school year. We collect donations of gifts for the Friends of Children organization.

Friends of Children (Friends) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that funds and supports the Guardian ad Litem program in Brevard County. Guardian ad Litem volunteers provide a voice to represent abused, abandoned, and

neglected children and currently, there are over 1,000 children in our county represented by Guardian ad Litem advocates.

Thanks t o t he k indness and generosit y of t he sponsors last year , including Quest , 3,250 gif t s were provided t o 825 children!

Here is how we will be provided with the gift wishes of the children in the Guardian ad Litem Program:

·Friends will provide Quest with Angel cards describing a child?s wish. Each card includes a gift for a specific child.

·Friends volunteers will pick up the unwrapped gif t s (with Angel cards attached) or they can be dropped off at locations indicated on the back of the Angel cards.

·Most of the gifts cost well under $50 each.

·We plan to have gift ideas to our sponsors on November 23rd, with a deadline of receiving gifts no lat er t han 12/10/2021.

If you plan t o par t icipat e in t he program , you or your child m ay pick up a card f rom t he f ront of f ice or t ree in t he lobby beginning t he Monday af t er Thanksgiving break . All unwrapped gif t s, w it h t he ornam ent t ag at t ached, m ay be t urned in t o t he Quest lobby or on t he address provided on t he card by Fr iday, Decem ber 10t h.

Thank you,

Ms. Christine Boyd, Principal

November 3: Picture Re-takes

November 10 : Vetern's Day Celebrat ion 7:15a-7:30a Celebrat ion (grassy

area by flag pole)

November 11: Holiday for All, Veterans Day

November 19 : PTO Meet ing 8:30am

November 24 - 26: No School, Happy Thanksgiving

EARLY RELEASE 1:15 PM EVERY FRIDAY

December 6 - December 10: Holiday Shop

December 10: PTO Meet ing 8:30am

December 13: SAC Meet ing 2:45P

December 22 - January 5: Winter Break

EARLY RELEASE 1:15 PM EVERY FRIDAY

UPCOMING EVENTS

Kid Fr iendly Things t o Do in Novem ber

There are still plenty of fun fall things to do during the final month of autumn. Since it gets dark earlier in November, there's even more reason to squeeze in a fall activity or two before winter arrives, and the holiday rush makes you too busy to do anything else. It 's best to follow CDC guidelines and stick to outdoor, socially distant, small-group activities as often as possible. With that in mind, here's some fun activities from Real Simple to spend family time with your family in November.

Writ e Down What You're Thankful For

Together as a family, write down a list of things you're thankful for. Not only will this get you and your kids in the mood for Thanksgiving, but it?ll be also a sweet reminder to practice gratitude.

Roast Marshm allows

Whether you're warm and toasty by the fireplace inside or bundled up near a firepit in the backyard, your kids will love roasting their own marshmallows and making s'mores as a special November treat.

Play a Gam e of Touch Foot ball

Take advantage of the weather before it really gets too cold to play outside with a game of touch football with your family and friends. Head to a local park or pick up a game in someone's backyard for the afternoon, then head inside afterward for hot chocolate.

Go for a Bike Ride

Get out and enjoy the fresh air with your kids before the true chill of winter.

Bake Cook ies

Baking cookies is never a bad idea, especially with the holidays right around the corner. Hone your Christmas cookie game by testing out new recipes, cookie decorating with the kids, or just baking for the fun of it.

Find Creat ive Ways t o Thank Front l ine Workers

No one deserves a pick-me-up more than our healthcare and frontline workers. You and your kids can make signs, write thank-you notes or sweet messages, bake treats, or put together small care packages to lift their spirits and show your appreciation for all they've done and continue to do, even over the holidays.

AP HIGHLIGHT - BY TAUNA PHILLIPS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

ACTIVITIES' AVENUE

MUSIC

Many exciting things are taking place in the music room! Here are just a few of the highlights.

Our Friday activity rotations groups for grades 3-6 are enjoying some enrichment ensemble opportunities and are doing a terrific job working on the performance aspects of music:

- 3rd grade is learning to use the Orff Instruments (pitched percussion, xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels) to accompany some of their songs and activities.

- 4th grade is working on a World Drumming curriculum using African drums and learning about African Culture and Music.

- 5th grade just finished their unit on the violin, and will be starting to prepare for their field trip to see the Brevard Symphony Orchestra concert scheduled for early February by learning about the various instruments of the orchestra and studying composers and their works that they will hear at the concert.

- 6th grade has been learning the ukulele and will soon be working in small groups to practice a number of campfire songs.

5th and 6th grade strings is underway with 48 students (our largest group ever), and our 4th-6th grade chorus just started their rehearsals this past week. What a great group of young musicians! Registration for both groups is now closed due to reaching capacity. We anticipate having our first concerts next spring! Keep an eye out for more info!

PE

Students in grades K-2 have been working on underhand & overhand throwing. We will continue to practice these skills in various throwing games.

We also continue to work on good sportsmanship & following PE rules & procedures.

Students in grades 3-6 have been rotating through various fitness stations and have started fitness testing on curl-ups and trunk lifts. Our upcoming fitness tests will be push-ups, sit & reach, & pacer run. These tests help students measure abdominal strength, flexibility, upper body strength, & cardiovascular endurance.

All students in grades K-6 will be starting some basketball skills stations in the month of December.

Red Ribbon week has been fun for all with daily activities which highlight the importance of staying drug free!

Cardio Club will begin Friday, Nov. 12th for students in grades 5 & 6. This club will take place before school at 7:30 each Friday morning. Students will track their steps with pedometers & participate in a variety of cardiovascular activities. All applications have been handed out to those interested & we are currently at our capacity with 30 students. We will have a waiting list for anyone who may have missed the deadline.

Thanks for all your support with Quest PE!

nestor.christina@brevardschools.org

Coach Nestor

ART

The last two months have been so fun and busy in the art room with the students creating Greek and Roman inspired artwork as well as stained glass inspired artwork based on the stained glasswork from the Middle Ages. I?ve

been blown away by our students attention to detail, and grasp of the concepts that they

have learned how to shade and create the illusion of an implied sense of three dimensional form. Some of the students artwork

is on display in the hallway outside of the art classroom and some of the students work will be selected to be on display in

the school board office.

Moving forward in November and December we will begin learning about the Renaissance and then the Impressionist

periods. We?ll be looking at work and creating art inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Hokusai, Claude Monet,

Mary Cassatt, and Berthe Morisot.

If you are interested in making a donation to the art classroom we could use lots of unscented baby wipes to help keep our

litt le artists clean.

MEDIA

Last month we focused on being good digital citizens and how to be safe online. We discussed what personal information means and the importance of not sharing personal

information online. We are continuing to read the Sunshine State Junior picture books with students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Students will be voting in February for their favorite book. Students in 1st-6th grade did a fabulous job meeting their first quarter Reading Count goals. So proud of their reading efforts.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Did you know that you can recycle ink cart r idges?

GEMS has a collect ion box in the lobby near the front doors where you can drop off your empty ink cart r idges.

Sorry they cannot take toner cart r idges.

It has been a wonderful first quarter back to school! We have been learning about friendship and kindness. In 1st-6th we have talked about filling each other?s buckets. Everyone carries an invisible bucket, and the things we say and do either help fill someone?s bucket or dip into their bucket.

When we say or do kind things, we fill each other?s buckets, and everyone feels good. When we do or say unkind things, we dip into each other?s buckets, and no one feels good. Ask your child if they have filled someone?s bucket today with kind words or deeds. How full is your bucket today?

In kindergarten we have learned what makes a good friend and how to make friends by being a good friend. Ask your child what makes a good friend.

This year, we have started a kindness tree in the main lobby. Everyone, students and adults, can add kindness to the tree all year long. Anytime they see someone being kind to someone else or someone is kind to them, they can take a flower or heart from next to the tree and write it down. The hearts and flowers will then be hung on the tree. Quest is such an amazingly kind school, we wanted to show it. Our tree is really blooming with all the kindness here at Quest!

Upcoming topics include;

Anti-Bullying - We will be learning what bullying is and what to do if someone is bullying you or someone else.

Child Safety with the Monique Burr Foundation lessons. We will be talking about how to keep safe in many situations.

Looking forward to more learning and fun!

You can always contact me at 321-242-1411 ext 48823 or Jean.Aimee@brevardschools.org

Aimee K. Jean

Certified School Counselor

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Lori Walker, Quest 's Office Clerk, for being elected Employee of the Year. Your hard

work and dedication did not go unnoticed.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Megan Grzyboski for being elected Teacher of the Year. Your dedication to Quest and the

students is apparent in all you do.

The Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge success.

Quest Familes raised over $30,000. Thank you for your generosity!

Donations from Quest Families and local Companies

A very generous Quest family, who would like to remain anonymous, donated a refrigerator for Quest staff use after our old one broke down.

L3 Harris did a corporate match for the fridge donation.

Walmart donated a minivan full of school supplies to Quest for students and teachers.

ESE TIDBIT BY ADRIENNE RAY, QUEST'S SUPPORT SPECIALIST

MILITARY LIFE BY ARLEEN FRANCIS

For this month?s resource, we are highlighting a fantastic resource provided to ESE families for free by the Florida Department of Education.

Special Ed Connection is a widely respected and utilized resource by both ESE families and professionals across the country.

Here, you can get updates and the latest news about legislation and developments in the special education realm. There are family tools to become more aware of special education needs, including a robust online dictionary of ESE terms with easy-to-understand definitions. Special Ed Round-Ups give snapshots into best practices of a wide range of issues from autism to occupational therapy.

Click on the following link to learn more about special ed connections as well as register for the free subscription.

https://www.fdlrseast.org/parent-services/special-ed-connection

www.specialedconnection.com

Recently, the school participated in writing letters to the Wounded Warriers and Vets. These were cards with a hope message included. Students of all grades wrote letters and drew pictures to send off to the Wounded Warriers. This project proved to be very productive and meaningful for all involved. It was coordinated by Mr. Dan Garcia and his wife, Jackie. "Danny" was referred to as the man who had "walked the globe", to carry the message of goodwill and hope. He is retired from the Marines, and he is considered a peace activist; he was a former military Chaplain. The special letters from our students were delivered personally by the couple when they visited the Wounded Warriers Program and the Vets this last month.

Our sixth-grade students have been involved in writing post cards to be put in care packages for the deployed military soldiers and members of the military through Operation Gratitude. This was coordinated by John Deluke, a local young man dedicated to supporting our armed forces. He has headed up this project for the past two years, at least. At the present time he is attending Notre Dame. The students have done an excellent job in expressing their appreciation for military members who have sacrificed so much!

Here are som e event s and act ivit ies found at t he Space Force/ Pat r ick Air Force Base websit e, There are several act ivit ies in t he com m unit y which are fam ily f r iendly, especially since t he holidays are r ight around t he corner !

Military One Source has excellent resources for military families, check it out!

Trunk or Treat - Rockledge Christian Church in Rockledge Oct. 30th 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Tast e of Space - Kennedy Space Center visitor complex Oct. 8th -Nov. 5th. The Orbit Cafe' and the Moon Rock have in house chefs preparing special fall bites to sample. Call 855- 433-4210 for more information.

Fall Fam ily Fest ival - Eau Gallie Babtist Church Oct. 30th 3:00pm -6:00pm. Look it up on Facebook or call 321-254-2339.

Fam ily Fun Night - East Coast Christian Center in M.I. welcome are pre-school- 6th graders.

Nat ive Rhyt hm s Fest ival Nov. 12th-14th @ Wickham Park in Melbourne. Is family friendly and free.

Call 321-452- 1671

Ways we Com m unicat e

Facebook @QuestElementarySchoolhttps:/ / www.brevardschools.org/ QuestES

Quest for Literacy TECH TALK

Please contact your child's teacher with any TECH questions. If your teacher is unable to assist you, they will forward your concerns to the Quest IT contact, David Hagler.

Current jobs with BPS are available on the districts website

https:// iss.brevard.k12.fl.us/JOBLST.pgm

Quest openings include; cafe worker, BAS Coordinator, BAS Group Leader, and a 2nd grade teacher

JOBS WITH BPS

FortifyFL app allows any student, educator, parent or member of the public to report school safety concerns directly to law enforcement and school administrators anonymously and easily through the FortifyFL app or www.getfortifyfl.com. The Florida Legislature directed this tool?s development in the

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.

Click here to view flyer

FORTIFYFL

FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH

Although meals are free for all students through the end of the school year, it is important that interested families apply for Free and Reduced priced meal benefits for the 2021-22 school year if they have not done so already. Students with an approved application may be eligible for other benefits beyond free and reduced priced meals. Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications may be completed online at https://www.brevardschools.org/page/3473